Electric Co-op Today

This is still early October, but some meteorologists are warning that a huge swath of the country from the Northern Plains to the Eastern Seaboard may see winter-like conditions soon.

A driver’s reflection appears in a vehicle's outside mirror, as he clears snow from a parking lot in February, 2011. Forecasters warn that winter conditions could come early to portions of the country. (Photo By: Associated Press/ The Enid News & Eagle, Bonnie Vculek)

“The Midwest, through the Great Lakes and the Ohio Valley, are probably going to get the worst of this winter season’s weather,” said Paul Pastelock, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather. The State College, Pa., forecasting service provides weather information to many utilities, including dozens of electric cooperatives.

For co-ops that traditionally see increased demand for electricity during the winter, this could mean more use as consumer-members respond to colder autumn temperatures. Some parts of Appalachia, including portions of West Virginia and Pennsylvania, have already had measurable accumulations of snow.

“This season is going to get kick-started very quickly through the November time period and then through the months of December and January,” said Pastelock, who heads AccuWeather’s long-range forecast unit.

“Precipitation could be above normal from Minneapolis and the Great Lakes region and as far south as the Ohio Valley and parts of Appalachia,” Pastelock said. For comparison, Chicago averages 39 inches of snowfall a year and Minneapolis averages 50 inches. Last winter, the two cities received 57 inches and 87 inches, respectively.

Philadelphia and New York average 22 inches and 29 inches, but each was pelted with double that a year ago.

“Snowfall totals in most of the major cities of the Midwest and Northeast will be greater than average, but slightly or significantly less than last year,” Pastelock said. “A few significant ice or wet snow events can still occur south and east of the Appalachians.”

Elsewhere, AccuWeather expects minimal relief from drought conditions in Texas, Oklahoma and other parts of the Southwest. But the area from Houston to Dallas could be hit by ice storms during the late December through mid-January period.

High water tables in the Northeast, where heavy rains occurred during the spring and summer, have raised the possibility of more flooding as early snowfalls thaw in late autumn, Pastelock said.

“We could also see flooding in late January when we may see an early thaw across the South,” said Pastelock. “If we get a wet February storm we could see flooding in the Ohio, Mississippi and Tennessee valleys.”

Tags: Seasonal Forecasts, Weather